Objectives-Racial/ethnic disparities in current asthma prevalence and medical care are a major public health concern. We examined the differences in asthma prevalence and morbidity among major racial/ethnic populations in the U.S.Methods-We analyzed data from the 2001-2010 National Health Interview Survey for adults (≥18 years) and children and adolescents (<18 years). Outcome variables were current asthma prevalence, episodes and emergency department/urgent care center (ED/UCC) visits. We used multivariate logistic regression to calculate model-adjusted prevalence and risk ratios (ARR).Results-In our study, 9.0% children and 7.2% adults had current asthma. Non-Hispanic black and Puerto Rican children were more likely to have current asthma (ARR 1.46, 1.66 respectively) and ED/UCC visits (ARR 1.61, 1.66, respectively) than non-Hispanic whites. Prevalence of asthma episodes did not differ significantly (P>0.05) among different race/ethnicities after adjusting for covariates. Among adults, Puerto Ricans were more likely to have current asthma (ARR 1.60) than non-Hispanic whites, and Non-Hispanic blacks (ARR 1.78) and Puerto Rican adults (ARR 1.71) reported ED/UCC visits more frequently than non-Hispanic whites. Adults and children who received emergency care for asthma in the past 12 months more frequently received multiple components of asthma management and control (e.g., taking long-term medication, having an asthma management plan) compared to those without emergency care.Conclusions-Racial/ethnic differences in current asthma prevalence persist among children and adults, but are most prominent among adults with asthma-related ED/UCC visits. Appropriate

In-person learning benefits children and communities (1). Understanding the context in which transmission of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), occurs in schools is critical to improving the safety of inperson learning.

Objectives We estimated HIV prevalence and risk factors among persons receiving mental health treatment in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and Baltimore, Maryland, January 2009 to August 2011. Methods We used a multisite, cross-sectional design stratified by clinical setting. We tested 1061 individuals for HIV in university-based inpatient psychiatric units (n = 287), intensive case-management programs (n = 273), and community mental health centers (n = 501). Results Fifty-one individuals (4.8%) were HIV-infected. Confirmed positive HIV tests were 5.9% (95% confidence interval [CI] = 3.7%, 9.4%) for inpatient units, 5.1% (95% CI = 3.1%, 8.5%) for intensive case-management programs, and 4.0% (95% CI = 2.6%, 6.1%) for community mental health centers. Characteristics associated with HIV included Black race, homosexual or bisexual identity, and HCV infection. Conclusions HIV prevalence for individuals receiving mental health services was more than 4 times as high as in the general population. We found a positive association between psychiatric symptom severity and HIV infection, indicating that engaging persons with mental illness in appropriate mental health treatment may be important to HIV prevention. These findings reinforce recommendations for routine HIV testing in all clinical settings to ensure that HIV-infected persons receiving mental health services are identified and referred to timely infectious disease care.